International Tour Management Institute (ITMI), America’s premier training program for professional tour directors and guides since 1976, is launching additional training and certification programs to meet the growing industry demand for Mandarin-speaking tour directors.

China represents an extremely important tourism market for the United States. In 2010, ITMI launched the first-ever Chinese Tour Director Certification program specifically designed for this market. “Tour operators are eager to hire professionally trained tour directors, who can ensure that Chinese visitors have a favorable impression of the United States,” says Ted Bravos, CEO of ITMI. “There is a tremendous need for bilingual English/Mandarin speaking individuals who understand both cultures. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals of all ages who are seeking either full or part-time employment.”

In 2007, the U.S. and China signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate Chinese group leisure travel from China to the United States. The National Tour Association (NTA), of which ITMI has been an active member for more than three decades, is the only trade association in the United States to have a tour operator qualification program approved by the China National Tourism Administration. NTA has approved more than 170 China inbound tour operators. This illustrates the tremendous need for professional Chinese tour directors to enhance the experience of Chinese visitors while they are in the United States.

The United Nations World Travel Organization ranked China as the fastest growing travel market in the world. It is estimated there will be 100 million Chinese travelling internationally by 2020. Nearly 400,000 Chinese travellers came to the U.S. in 2007, where they spent a record $2.56 billion. The average expenditure per person was over $6,000.

For more information about ITMI or the Chinese tour director certification program contact Joan Keddell at (415) 957-9489 or travel@itmisf.com or Annemarie Osborne Annemarie.Osborne@gmail.com or visit ITMI’s web site www.itmisf.com